Controversial US Deportations: Asian Migrants Sent to South Sudan Amid Legal Disputes

Immigration lawyers argue that the US government has illegally deported two Asian men to South Sudan, in violation of a prior court ruling. As they seek emergency interventions, concerns over the safety of these migrants mount.

In a contentious development, immigration attorneys have reported that the US government wrongfully deported two Asian men to South Sudan, invoking significant legal challenges. During a recent court proceeding in Boston, the attorneys informed a federal judge that a flight transporting various individuals, including nationals from Myanmar and Vietnam, arrived in South Sudan on Tuesday. Crucially, an existing court order prohibits the US government from relocating migrants to third-party countries without giving them a "meaningful opportunity" to contest such deportations.

The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for a response regarding these actions. South Sudan is recognized as one of the world’s most impoverished nations, grappling with ongoing political unrest and violent conflicts, raising alarm over the safety of the deported migrants.

On Tuesday, the National Immigration Litigation Alliance petitioned the federal judge for an emergency order to halt these deportations. This comes in light of Judge Brian Murphy’s earlier ruling on April 18, which mandated that undocumented migrants must be allowed to contest their removal to countries outside of their native lands. Following claims that some individuals might be sent to Libya, Judge Murphy asserted that such actions would breach his ruling.

In the court's paperwork presented on Tuesday, attorneys for the Burmese man highlighted that he has limited proficiency in English and had not consented to the removal notice provided by immigration officials at a detention facility in Texas. A lawyer became aware of the situation when her client failed to appear in the immigration detainee locator system. Upon seeking clarity on his removal destination, she was informed that he had been deported to South Sudan.

The legal team also indicated that another client, a Vietnamese national, shares the same fate, supposedly being on the same flight as the Burmese individual. Emotional appeals have emerged from the spouses of the displaced individuals, as one Vietnamese spouse implored legal assistance, citing the dire nature of their predicament and concerns related to the deportations.

According to the US government's travel advisory, individuals are cautioned against traveling to South Sudan due to persistent threats of crime, kidnappings, and armed hostilities. Since declaring independence in 2011, Africa's youngest nation has endured a tumultuous period marked by a bloody civil conflict, creating severe conditions for returnees.